Interstate reopens hours after fiery tanker crash

Interstate 55 North reopened in Madison County Wednesday morning, hours after a fiery tanker truck crash closed the highway.

The crash happened about 1 a.m. Wednesday on Interstate 55 northbound between the Madison and Gluckstadt exits.

Authorities said the driver of the 18-wheeler lost control of the truck, hit a median, flipped and exploded into flames.The truck was carrying 8,000 gallons of gasoline, authorities said.

The Mississippi Highway Patrol said the driver may have fallen asleep.

The cab of the truck disconnected from the trailer during the crash. The driver, whose name had not been released, was taken to the University of Mississippi Medical Center with what officials said were non-life-threatening injuries.

"The truck is going to be a total loss," said Madison County Emergency Management Director Butch Hammock. "It took us about two hours to extinguish the blaze."

One lane reopened about 6:30 a.m. The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality and emergency crews cleaned up the wreckage and opened the second lane by about 8 a.m.

Copyright 2013 byWAPT.com All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Comments

The views expressed are not those of this site, this station or its affiliated companies. By posting your comments you agree to accept our terms of use.

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) said Sunday it was "very alarmed" by reports of widespread doping by track and field athletes in major competitions including the Olympic Games and world championships.